Why Does the Caged Bird Sing?
by Ladie in Lace
Summary: A young Loki finds himself light years away from home, taken by a man obsessed with entertainment. And Thor is the only one who can bring him back. [Loki centric, brotherly love, protective Thor, young Loki and Thor, this is not a rape fic]
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I am a bit scared to publish this story because it has been at the back of my mind for ages, so please give it a chance. I'm excited to do this Loki centric fic, so yay. I hope you guys like it. Please read, review, and enjoy my darlings.**

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**Oh, and the ages of Thor and Loki in this fic are as follows: Thor is twelve, Loki is ten.**

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"Keep your body straight and tall, so your voice is loud and clear, see?" Frigga said as she softly pushed Thor's shoulders back.

"I don't understand mother." Thor scoffed, flipping his gold locks from his eyes. "Why should I have to practice my singing with you and Loki? I'm no good at it."

Loki snorted. "Is that not the point of practice?"

Thor scowled. He and Loki stood side by side in a large study. Their mother gave them singing lessons in that room once every week. She believed it was a good way for them to wind down, as they were getting into trouble every other day.

Frigga chuckled and bent over to stare into her eldest son's annoyed face.

"Thor my darling," She said. "I think you sing beautifully."

"Oh, yes. I am sure that's why Loki will be singing at the banquet instead of me." Thor looked away as Loki tried his best not to smile. His brother was older, yes, yet he still pouted like a toddler.

Loki would never admit it, but Thor was not a half bad singer. Loki was just the better of the two. He was told often that his voice was clear and pleasant. He was a little embarrassed, but happy that he had the ability. It made his mother proud.

He would be singing at a banquet that night. He was very nervous, but excited to make his mother, and hopefully his father, proud; though if he didn't do well, he couldn't imagine his father's wrath.

The banquet was being held to celebrate a treaty between Asgard and a place called Humab. Loki had not even heard of the planet until a few days prior. Apparently, according to what he had overheard the guards saying, the Humabs were extremely advanced in their weaponry. They had invented a sort of gun powered by black matter. Loki was not sure what that meant, but apparently, it was bad news.

His father had been agitated recently. At first Loki and Thor had believed it was because of the war Asgard had just ended with a far off planet called Gostiph; but when Loki heard of the advanced and potentially destructive Humab weaponry, he realized that wasn't the case.

According to what Loki had heard, after rumors and whispers of a Humab attack on Asgard began passing through Odin's ranks, the King decided his best move toward peace would be a treaty.

And so, Odin had created the Treaty of Two Armies. The Humab ruler, Jesur, had agreed immediately, assuring Odin that the rumors had been just that; rumors.

Now Loki was expected to please these people with his songs. He could not imagine the embarrassment if he froze up, or sang the wrong tune.

_But no, that will not happen. Mother has taught me well, and I know I won't mess this up._

Loki was right, he would not, _could_ not mess it up. There was no living thing that didn't find Loki's songs pleasing, and for good reason; he sang with magic.

Frigga had realized it first, as she could do the same. Though Loki's songs tended to have a different effect on the listener than her own. People found Frigga's songs pleasing, and her words often relaxed them and put them at ease.

The emotion Loki evoked with his singing depended on the mood of the song, or perhaps on the mood of Loki himself. Frigga hadn't decided on that fact yet. What she did know was that he could sing a happy tune and bring a woman out of her depression, but he could also place a happy man into one by singing a sad tune. Frigga had realized that his singing was more than just singing. If used correctly and developed effectively, Loki could use it as a weapon, like any other magic. If he honed it, there was even a possibility he could use it with simple speech as well as song.

Frigga was impressed. Though she was also a little scared to know her youngest son could wield so much power.

She hadn't told Thor about this. She didn't want him to think Loki was manipulating him whenever he sang a tune. Though if she did tell him, perhaps he would appreciate singing lessons a bit more, knowing his brother could use it as a weapon one day.

She wasn't even sure Loki knew of the power himself.

"Do not be angry Thor, I know you will be the center of attention, even if my songs do please our guests. You will entrance them with your tails of heroism!" Loki said with a hint of sarcasm, but he was smiling, so Thor didn't notice that.

"Yes, yes!" Thor yelled as he placed a fist stoically against his chest. "I shall tell them of the time I saved you from the giant boar, or of the time I strangled the Snake of Yildor with my bare hands!"

"I thought you said the snake was only a dream?" Loki asked as he bumped Thor with his shoulder. Thor furrowed his golden eyebrows.

"No, no, I specifically remember that being real."

"Alright Thor, we do not doubt you." Frigga said lightly. _Though we doubt your memory._

"Come now, boys. We need to get you washed and dressed." Frigga stated as she floated elegantly toward the door, a curtain of shining hair sweeping behind her like rays of the sun.

"I took a bath last week!" Thor protested as Loki began to follow Frigga. Loki paused to turn and glance at his brother, who had his arms crossed indignantly.

"Well, you smell." Loki said with a grin. He turned and left the room with a walk not so unlike his mother's.

"A warrior is _supposed_ to smell!" Thor yelled as he ran to catch up with his younger brother.

* * *

A few miles away, a grown warrior watched the sky with golden eyes blazing, his full lips down turned in an unsatisfied frown. His helmet blazed almost as bright as his eyes as the sun began to set, pink and orange hues dancing across the horizon in waves.

He glanced down at the bridge beneath his armored feet, its power radiating into his body as it sparkled and shined with more colors than any mortal could ever comprehend.

"Heimdall." Odin stated from behind this warrior. Heimdall turned slowly, not at all surprised by the sudden appearance of his king at the Bifrost gate. Heimdall had seen Odin coming for miles. He had also been expecting his appearance, as the guests would arrive very soon.

Heimdall was worried, though he wasn't sure why. He knew the guests; he knew everything about them, as he could see everything about them, even though their planet was light years away. They seemed to be no danger to Asgard.

Yet Heimdall was worried. He was not satisfied even though he should have been. He felt wrongness in the air, a thick scent of an unknown threat stirring in the wind.

_Perhaps I am on edge because of the war. It has only just ended; it would be strange to feel perfectly normal already._

"The guests shall be arriving very soon, my King." Heimdall said as he faced his leader. Odin smiled slightly as the setting sun flashed in his one blue eye and across the slice of gold covering his other. But Heimdall believed he felt a light tenseness to Odin. Perhaps his King could taste the sour air as well.

"Yes, as expected, they are a bit late. Odd that such an intelligent and advanced people is so unorganized and shallow." Odin said as he moved to stand beside the gatekeeper.

Heimdall understood what he meant. The Humabs were expert developers and scientists. They were brilliant, frighteningly so, yet they constantly feasted, threw parties, balls, and they were obsessed with entertainment and physical beauty.

Heimdall had told his King all about this strange race, as much as he had seen in them. He had also told his King of their new technology.

It was extremely advanced, this technology; and very dangerous, to both the user and anyone on the receiving end. The reason for this danger was unpredictability. Asgardians knew enough about dark matter to realize how unstable it was, which was why they had abandoned all research into the subject. They hadn't wanted to take any unnecessary chances.

How the Humabs had managed to harness that unpredictability to their advantage, Heimdall had no idea; which was why he found the Humabs so unsettling. When thinking about it, they were nearly as unstable and unpredictable as the dark matter itself.

King Odin knew that they could not be trusted, not completely. Odin knew that rumors had been circulating the ranks of his warriors, that many believed the Humabs had been planning an attack on Asgard. That was not the entire truth. It was true that there had been speculations; whispers of impending attack on Asgard. But that had not been the only threat.

The Humabs had been almost unheard of until a few months back. They had earned their place in Odin's memory when they had attacked Vera, a planet that had long been an ally of Asgard, a _known_ ally of Asgard. The Humabs had receded from Vera as quickly as they had arrived, having done minimal damage. It was almost as if they had only been testing the planet, watching how they would react. Or how Asgard would react. It was odd, and it was menacing.

Though what truly made Odin nervous were rumors of a different caliber. The king had heard that the Humabs had been secretly supplying supplies and weaponry to Gostiph during war the Asgardians were waging against them. King Odin could not confirm these rumors as true, but they made him very wary.

"We should be cautious of them, but we should not be unwelcoming. I have looked over them very thoroughly. They are very unpredictable, but they are still always concrete with their love of material things; that is something we will always be able to rely on." Heimdall said strongly, his voice radiating over the Bifrost like a thick skinned drum.

"Are you sure you do not want a place on my council? Your insight is always so helpful to me." Odin asked half jokingly.

"I am sorry my King, I will not join that council. Not to be out of place, but many of those men and women are not to my taste. They are a bit too bitter." Heimdall stated. Odin chuckled.

"Yes, they are not very much to my taste either, but they get things done. That is all I really ask." Said the King.

They stood staring at the horizon for a moment, the sun flowing into the sparse clouds and setting them on fire with colors of purple and red so thick it seemed the sky was bleeding.

"The sky burns bright with red of sun…" Heimdall started without thinking, an ominous poem flowing from his lips.

"…peace will be futile, sweetness be there none." Odin finished. Heimdall sighed.

"I feel tense, old friend." Odin whispered.

"As do I. I feel Asgard is in danger this night, though I see none. I fear I am going blind."

"No, your eyes are clear and bright as they have ever been. We will just have to hope we are only unsettled from the recent war, for Asgard's sake."

"Yes, my King." Heimdall said as he rested his sword against the Bifrost. He stared into the bright light of the horizon and prayed that his golden eyes were seeing no more than a scarlet sunset.

* * *

Loki stood in front of a long ornate mirror, his mouth open in dismay.

"Why have you put me in a dress?" Loki demanded as he faced his mother. Thor was writhing on the floor, his eyes running as he laughed uncontrollably. Thor was wearing a simple white tunic and a leather vest dyed blue to match his eyes. He also wore leather pants that resembled those of an Asgardian warrior.

"It is not a dress Loki, dear. It is a Duava, a traditional and very precise array of clothing items worn only during special Asgardian occasions." Frigga soothed.

Loki's finger shot out and pointed to the hysterical Thor. He nearly screeched, "Why not him? Why must I be the only one?"

"Because you will be standing before all of our Humab guests as well as every Asgardian at the banquet, so I would like you to look very pleasant and traditional."

"Is it traditional for me to look like a girl in front of all our guests?" Loki muttered with crossed arms. Thor released a guffaw at that. Frigga smirked and raised one eyebrow as she put a hand on one hip.

"I would think you would take pride in feminine clothing. The more woman you are, the more elegant and strong."

"What? Men are stronger!" Thor yelled from the floor. Frigga laughed.

"Dearest child, you do not know the true strength of a woman, and you will most likely not discover this until you are grown."

"Honestly though, Thor, have you forgotten Sif? She nocks you on your backside every time you challenge her!" Loki laughed. Thor grumbled and stood, leaning against a wall and looking toward the floor in shame.

"Do not fret child, I only jest. We are all equal warriors. We just vary in our areas of strength and weakness. You and your father are strong in physical strength while Loki and I are stronger with our magic." Frigga said as she walked over to her eldest son. Thor smiled.

Loki looked in the mirror once again and sighed. He did not mind the outfit too much, it just wasn't his style. He didn't like clothing that was so flashy. Or long.

"Can I not wear something simpler, mother?" He asked with pleading eyes as he turned to his mother. She grinned and set her hand on his dark head of hair.

"No."

* * *

"Stevna, could you have worn something a bit flashier?" King Jesur said to his servant as he strode along a cobblestone roadway. She was dressed in a short deep red robe studded with gold and rubies at the collar. Her hair was folded into an elaborate style and also littered with rubies and gold. She looked beautiful, yet she was nothing compared to the king.

The king wore a gold and silver collar fitted with several rare gems, and he wore bracelets along his arms that matched perfectly. His garb was a shining partially see-through robe that sparkled like a galaxy of stars when it moved, and the only other clothing he wore was a long intricate loincloth with a gold band belt. He was covered in precious metals and gemstones, and his body was painted with gold designs that trailed up to his face. His lips were painted blue, as was traditional for the Kings of his nation when meeting another leader for the first time.

He and his favorite servant walked a few yards behind King Odin and about thirty Asgardian guards as they made their way through the city, passing markets, fountains, training grounds, and stone houses that were much too plain in Jesur's eyes.

Behind King Jesur, about one hundred fifty of his people followed. They were adorned in bright colors and shining jewelry. They showed much more skin than the Asgardians, and as they passed through the city, they received a few judgmental glances from the more conservative citizens of Asgard.

"Their kingdom is so drab looking." Stevna whispered to her king. He smirked.

"Yes, but at least it is clean." He whispered back.

Odin stopped at the top of a golden staircase and turned. Jesur tensed for a moment, thinking Odin had overheard, but the Asgardian king simply said,

"We have arrived at the palace. I am very pleased that the Humab nation and the Asgardians were able to create the treaty of two armies over this past week. It was a tense time for our ambassadors, and for yours as well. I am pleased that you will be feasting with us this night in celebration of that treaty. Please, make merry and enjoy the food and entertainment." The Asgardian guards beside Odin stepped up to an enormous set of gold doors and knocked.

The doors began to swing slowly inward. Odin walked down some steps and stood before King Jesur, his body language very proud. Jesur smiled and bowed to him, King Odin returning the gesture.

"I am glad we have met on good terms instead of bad." Jesur said as he strode with Odin into the palace, the interior boring the Humab king just as much as the rest of the city had.

_Nothing here is beautiful. It is all too plain._

"As am I." King Odin replied. "I hope you will enjoy this night. We have been preparing for days."

_I doubt that._

"I am sure it will be an entertaining evening indeed." King Jesur lied as he showed his teeth in yet another meaningless smile.

* * *

Heimdall stood alone at the Bifrost gate, his armor dulling in the dim light of the evening.

The sun had been replaced by a dark blue sky, the twinkle of premature stars dotting the darkness.

The warrior sighed morosely. He had met the Humabs, he had met their King. They were as he knew them.

Yet…

There was something sour about the air, and it had grown more potent with the arrival of the Humabs.

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**Well...how was it? O.O Also feel free to tell me about the errors I surely missed while editing! Next chapter will be up quite soon, and it shall be more exciting, I promise! This one was kind of like an intro, you know? ANYWAY, til next time darlings.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, next chapter, please read, review, and enjoy you beautiful people!**

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The great dining hall was centuries old. It was build from stone crafted from the mountain Ojeina, the mightiest of the three eastern mountains. The pillars of the dining hall were solid marble taken from Midgard. As a child, Odin himself had played there as his father sat in the enormous throne at the highest point of the hall.

Odin was proud of the dining hall, its vaulted ceiling soaring high above his blond head. The ceiling seemed to go so high it was muddled with a few stars.

Solid wood tables flanked by cushioned stools ran along the length of the room, allowing comfortable seating for anyone who wanted to enjoy a meal there. All of these tables ended where the throne began.

The king's throne was Odin's pride and joy. Every king and queen of his family had sat in that throne, it's gold and marble intertwining beautifully, it's strong arms jutting out like spears. It was not so grand as King Odin's elaborate gold throne residing in the throne room, but this throne was only for eating and making merry, so it was enough.

This was where Odin sat as he watched his warriors and people mix into the crowds of Humab warriors and citizens. Odin's people looked rather drab beside the pampered and sparkling Humabs, their elaborate hairdos and jewel encrusted necklaces shining in the dim light of the hall which was lit only by wall torches.

Though the Humab's were obviously cleaner and more expensive looking, Odin's people looked healthier, stronger, and kinder even. He was proud of that fact.

Voices, laughter, and soft music resounded throughout the hall in a warm yet chaotic mixture. Odin smiled as many people began to sit at tables, some of them already sipping at their wine. Though he knew his warriors were not as complacent as they appeared to be. Odin had made sure to tell them all to be on their guard, to be ready for anything. Odin did not trust these Humabs.

"King Odin, I would like to thank you again for the hospitality."

Odin looked to his right and saw King Jesur standing there with his hands behind his back, his mouth parted in a slight smile. The slim man was a sight to behold, showing more bare skin than Odin was used to seeing, even for a man.

Odin was again reminded of how materialistic the Humabs were, though he couldn't complain, as he _was _sitting on a throne made of gold.

"It is an honor to have you here with us. Could I offer you a seat beside me?" Odin asked. Jesur bowed low as he said,

"That is a gracious offer Odin, but this is not my kingdom. I shall sit with my people."

"Ah, your respect is much appreciated Jesur." Odin replied with a hearty laugh.

"Though I'd like you to know," He added "My youngest son will be entertaining us with a song or two, and I understand that you and your people cherish entertainment. Perhaps you would like to sit among your people but still close to my throne. That is where Loki will be singing."

"Ah, Loki, what a lovely name; I am sure he will be great entertainment. I assure you, I will find a seat that is close by." King Jesur said, his dark eyes sparking_._

_But I truly doubt your son will be entertaining you foolish man._

"I am sure my son will not disappoint." King Odin said, his own eyes twinkling with an unknown emotion.

"Yes, it will be interesting to learn some more about the Asgardian people this night."

"Oh?" Said Odin, his body tense. Jesur smiled.

"I find your culture interesting, as well as your magic. I hear your queen is an incredibly gifted woman."

"I did not realize my wife's magic was so known to civilizations that live so far away." Odin replied, his mouth a hard thin line.

"It is a fascination of mine. Magic, I mean." Jesur said. "It will be a shame when we leave this marvelous place. It is so magical here. Miraculous, really."

King Jesur turned abruptly and allowed his long pale hair to cascade over his shoulders in a wave as he sat very near to the king and beside his closest servant, Stevna. He faced the throne directly, as if challenging the figure of King Odin's power.

But he had no desire to do so. He believed the king to be a moron, and the Asgardians to be savages. Yet he did want peace.

Odin sat stiff. He was slightly shaken by Jesur's words. That man was not be trusted. Not even slightly.

* * *

Loki stood warily outside the entrance to the dining hall, looking very small in his layered Duava. He found himself feeling nervous, which was a surprise to him.

He pushed the balls of his feet against the hard floor and wrung his fists. Laughter, gleeful yells, merry voices, and the soft sweet sound of the flute wafted through the double doors, an array of sounds that mixed with the scent of delicious food to create a welcoming hum. Yet Loki found himself not wanting to enter.

He took a very deep breath which forced his chest high and moved to step into the dining hall, but a firm yet soft grip took his arm and held him back.

"Wait one moment, my darling." His mother said as she pulled him around and kneeled to face him. She smiled at this. Her youngest son was seen by some old enough to be called a man, yet he was still so small.

"I want to show you something very quickly, to help you sing for our guests."

"_Mother_. I can't have a singing lesson. I do not have the time."

"No, no." She chuckled. "It is only a simple trick." She took her two fingers and placed them together against her throat.

"Focus your magic into your fingers." She said. "And then speak through them." Her voice seemed to amplify throughout the enormous hallway, reaching the highest heights of the ceiling.

"It amplifies your sweet songs, my love. You try." She said. Loki looked at her incredulously but placed two fingers to his throat.

"Is it working?" He asked, and his voice was loud and clear and strong and he knew it had. He smiled as his mother stood and began pushing him toward the dining hall doors. He didn't have time to worry before he was forced inside.

* * *

Thor was having a marvelous time.

He was making merry with new friends from a far away kingdom. They were a bit snobbish but they knew how to enjoy a party. They had even slipped him a cup of wine.

Thor shoved a full plate of quail into his gullet, his fingers lathered in grease and the guests around him laughing at the sight.

"You know, my friends," Thor began, those around him turning on their stools to listen. "These fingers may be grease covered now, but let me tell you, they once strangled a beast the size of a-"

"Guests of Humab, I welcome you all warmly, and I hope you are having a wonderful time. Are you enjoying your meal?" Odin thundered as he pushed away from his throne and stood as to grab the attention of the hall.

"Yes!" The room collectively replied, their cheers of approval and cups of alcohol rising into the air with vigor.

"I am glad!" Odin roared as he shoved his mug of ale into the air. Laughter erupted and Thor frowned, his audience of new friends no longer paying any sort of attention to him.

"I am sure the ale and wine has already warmed your bones," Odin yelled, sounding a bit drunk, "But just to be certain of your pleasure, I will have my son sing for you."

Cheers erupted once again, and Thor sunk lower in his seat, his stomach and face both burning slightly with envy.

He watched his younger brother being pulled onto the high ground space of the throne where he could be seen by everyone. Thor scoffed. His brother was the center of attention while he himself was lost among a crowd of people.

_Be happy for him; be happy that he gets to do this even if you cannot, Thor._

He tried to be happy, but he could not shake off his discontent.

He glanced up at his brother. He was still wearing that silly outfit that Thor had laughed at. It didn't even look bad on Loki, but Thor had laughed anyway. Thor's grimace softened a little.

Loki looked a little scared. Thor did empathize with his little brother. Loki didn't even really want to sing in front of all those people; at least Thor didn't _think_ he did.

* * *

_I do not want to sing in front of all these people._

Loki tried to steady his breathing as he looked around the hall at the enormous amount of people, some familiar some not. He was suddenly terrified, fear piercing his stomach like the sharp head of a spear.

_Calm down, calm down._

Loki flattened a rumbled piece of fabric sown to his Duava as his father sat down in his throne, leaving Loki all alone in front of everybody.

The hall quieted down, voices trickling away quickly as they waited for Loki to sing.

But he found his voice didn't seem to work. He opened his dry mouth, but no sound came out.

He began to panic. Was he really about to disappoint the guests his father was so keen on impressing?

He glanced between faces in the crowd like a cornered animal. His eyes rested on a very willowy man with flowing pale hair and piercing dark eyes who seemed to notice Loki's gaze. The man smirked callously at the boy. Loki shivered and looked away.

Loki closed his eyes. He took two deep, shaky breaths, and then put his two fingers softly against his throat. He let his magic roll through his limbs, feeling its familiar power ebb and flow like waves of an electric ocean, the fresh stinging warmth of it moving through his body and evaporating his anxiety.

And he began to sing.

* * *

King Jesur was transfixed.

He was feeling things he never had before felt. Warm electric feelings in his chest, warm feelings so happy he began to chuckle. He felt a bit lightheaded as well, drunk even, so lightheaded it took him more than a minute to realize why he felt that way.

It was the boy, he realized; the son of Odin, Loki. He was singing a song that filled him with the most delicious emotions one could imagine. No, it wasn't the song making him feel so, it was the boy himself, the boy was creating ecstasy. He created harmony as he sang those words.

_"__Ye shall henceforth be men_

_at peace and pledged_

_at ale and eating,_

_at thing and folk-meet,_

_at kirk-going_

_and in king's hall;_

_and wherever men gather together, there shall ye be _

_so agreed as though this matter of bleed had never come between you," _

The boy Loki sang, his green eyes unnaturally bright as he wove his tune.

King Jesur looked around and saw that he was not alone. His people were also entranced, their blurry eyes glued to the young boy. Even the Asgardians seemed to be under the boy's spell, he noticed. The brutes were laughing and swaying as the music continued.

_ "__Ye shall share_

_both steel and steaks_

_and all the things_

_that are betwixt you,_

_like friends and not like foes._

_And if, later, strife arise between you twain and things be not in good case,_

_then shall it_

_be settled by fees,_

_but no swords be reddened between you."_

King Jesur sighed contently and relaxed in his seat. He felt so at peace as the boy sang, so pure. The boy was incredible, he was wonderful, the most entertaining person Jesur had ever come into contact with.

King Jesur thought hard. This boy, he was desirable. King Jesur wanted Loki Odinson. King Jesur wanted him and so he would have him.

* * *

Thor stood outside of the dining hall, his back resting against the wall and his arms crossed against his chest. He was annoyed with his brother, angry even. Loki had sung nicely, yes, just like he was supposed to. The audience had been captivated by his songs, even Thor had been unable to look away. But when Loki had finished, the entire audience had erupted in cheers and cries for more song. They started yelling and talking to one another of _Loki_, Loki _this_, Loki _that_, what a _great _son _Loki _must be.

And what about him? What was Thor, the family pet? Was he not as miraculous as Loki and his _precious _singing voice? Thor hadn't even been able to tell his stories of great heroism to the guests because they were too busy fawning over the great and wonderful _Loki._

Thor growled and frowned deeper. The tall doors to the dining hall were open. He could hear the steady hum of voices, and he knew who they were talking about.

"Thor!" Thor turned to see his younger brother running toward him in his ridiculous costume. A huge grin was spread across Loki's face.

"Thor, they enjoyed it! I didn't mess up! What do you think, how did I do?" The younger boy asked, hungry for his older brother's approval. Thor scoffed slightly.

"Alright, I guess." Thor said with a snide tone. Loki looked a little hurt.

"Alright? What does that mean, you don't think I did well?"

"I dunno." Thor shrugged. "Could have been better I'm sure. I don't see what all the fuss is about." Loki's emerald eyes narrowed.

"Well it isn't as if you could do any better." Loki said coldly.

"I wouldn't want to sing in that dress anyway, so I'm not exactly torn up about it."

"It isn't a dress." Loki hissed as his face flamed red.

"Sure looks like it. Maybe you should give it to Sif, I'm sure she would love it." Thor said.

"Shut up Thor, why are you being such a moron?" yelled Loki. Thor stepped up to his little brother, who was a good head shorter than him.

"Because of you!" Thor yelled as he poked his finger hard into Loki's chest, his voice resounding throughout the hallway. "You're stealing all the attention. They are all fawning over you, _perfect_ Loki, the _wonderful _son of King Odin while I have been entirely forgotten!"

Loki laughed in astonishment. "Oh, is that it? You are angry because for _one day_ I am the star instead of you? Could you be more selfish? You are _always_ the center of attention you big twit! Can you not give up _one day_ for me, not _one single day_?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Thor huffed, feeling a twinge of guilt that almost evaporated his anger.

"Oh you know what it means." Loki said said before turning and walking away.

"Oh, Thor, Loki, there you two are." Frigga said with a smile. "Loki?" But Loki was gone, having disappeared around a corner.

"What happened, what is wrong?" Frigga asked as she stood before Thor.

"Loki is being stupid, that is what's wrong." Thor growled. Frigga placed a graceful hand on her son's cheek and made him look her in the eye.

"Thor. What happened?" She asked, and Thor melted.

"I was angry at him because everyone is ignoring me. They are all so focused on Loki."

"Is that really so terrible my dove?"

"Yes! Why should he get all the attention?" Thor sighed. Frigga chuckled.

"Well, he did do a very wonderful job today. Do you not think he deserves the attention? Did he not earn it?"

"I do not know! You are confusing me mother. It is late, I think I'll go to my bed now." Thor said as he walked passed his mother.

"Are you going to apologize?" Frigga called after him.

"I am the one who needs an apology." Thor called back indignantly as he disappeared around a corner as Loki had before.

Frigga sighed. "Stubborn as an ox, that one."

* * *

"King Odin."

Odin turned and saw that King Jesur had approached him.

"King Jesur, I hope you enjoyed your meal?" He asked with a smile.

King Jesur returned the smile. "Oh yes, everything was delicious, and I especially enjoyed the entertainment. Your son Loki is truly rare, is he not?"

"Oh you have no idea." The King laughed. "I shall pass on your praise to him, I am sure he will be happy to know that a King other than myself commends his ability."

"It is a shame I cannot tell him myself."

"Yes, it is a shame. He is still young, so he has already gone to his room for the night. Perhaps you shall see him again one day soon." Odin said.

"Yes." Said Jesur with a sly smile. "Perhaps."

"Will you be taking your leave soon?"

"Yes, I shall be leaving soon. I just have to discuss a few things with my people, then we shall be going."

* * *

Heimdall was pacing to relieve his anxiety.

He was not an anxious person, not at all. Yet he felt more anxious now than he ever had before. He felt as if he were missing something, something big. He felt like there was a blind spot in his vision that he could not repair.

He was so engrossed in his anxiety that he did not see the three people approaching him until they were twenty feet away.

Heimdall stopped his pacing and faced them. He tensed, and although he already knew the answer, he still asked with slow words, "Why are you here?"

They were Humabs, it was obvious. Two were men, one was a woman. He knew their names, he knew their purpose, and he knew in that moment what he had been missing. He knew why the air was so foul.

"We are here to prepare for our peoples' journey home." The woman said with a sweet smile.

"Do not lie to me." The gatekeeper said with a loud and commanding tone.

"We have heard tales of your bright eyes Heimdall, but I did not know that they were so…thorough in their sight." Said one of the male warriors as he brushed his sword with one hand.

Heimdall did not remember the Humabs having weapons when they arrived. They had somehow managed to sneak them passed his sight.

"You know why we are here." The other male warrior said.

"Yes." Heimdall said. The sound of metal scraping across metal filled the air as he unsheathed his sword. "You have come to fight me."

"Indeed we have. We are going to incapacitate you." Said the woman. She drew a dagger from her robes.

"Are you planning to attack Asgard?" Heimdall growled. He could see no other reason; why else would they be attacking him?

"No. You need not worry for your citizens nor your king. We are only going to borrow someone for a little while." The woman said with a nasty smile.

Heimdall's golden eyes narrowed. "Borrow someone?"

"Enough talk old man. We have a schedule to keep." The woman growled as she rushed forward, her dagger glinting as it darted toward Heimdall like a poisonous snake.

* * *

Loki sat on his bed, sulking and angry. He felt horrible. He had been elated and now he felt horrible and Thor was the one who had done it, Thor had spoiled it.

"Why is he so stupid?" Loki sniffed.

His duava was in a crumpled heap on the floor, thrown down in a fit of rage. Thor was right. It looked like a dress.

Loki straightened his tunic before he sighed and stuffed his face into a pillow.

He thought he could hear Thor moving around in the next room. Right now Loki wished he and his brother's bedrooms weren't right beside each other.

He just wanted to be alone.

* * *

Heimdall dodged to the side and caught the blade with his sword. He tried to rip it from the woman's grasp with the hilt of his sword, but she anticipated him and pulled back.

Heimdall quickly turned and threw his sword up above his head to block an overhead attack. One of the male warriors had intended to attack him from the back.

Heimdall kicked the man in the chest and sent him flying, only to have the man replaced by the other. This man was quicker. He landed a kick to Heimdalls side, and it hurt badly, but it didn't faze him. Heimdall punched the man in the jaw, and the man fell back.

Heimdall heard a loud crackle from behind and he himself fell as something slammed into his back and sent him sprawling across the Bifrost.

* * *

Loki sat now with his head against the wall between his and Thor's rooms. He sighed as he tried to stop feeling sorry for himself.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and he felt eyes on him, eyes from behind him.

Loki jumped up from bed and turned around. There was a man there, a Humab wearing dark clothes. Loki noticed his window was wide open, apparently the Humab had snuck through it without being detected.

_Is he an assassin? Is he here to kill me!?_

_How did he get up here? How could he have climbed all that way? And how could he have possibly gotten past the palace defenses? _

"Who are you? Get out!" Loki yelled shakily as he backed away from the man and toward the door. But the man was quick and lunged so that he was blocking the doorway.

"What do you want?" Loki asked as he again began backing up, this time toward his bed.

"You need to come with me." The man said. Loki swallowed hard and stuck his hand beneath his pillow. He pulled out a dagger.

"No."

"You intend to fight me off little boy?"

"Yes." Loki whispered. _I don't exactly have a choice._

* * *

Heimdall groaned and pushed himself onto his hands and knees. He felt another burst to his side and he rolled harshly across the Bifrost another twenty feet.

Heimdall coughed and gasped. His vision was blurry and faded.

_What is this?_

He attempted to get up, but found he could barely move.

The woman appeared beside him, a strange contraption in her hand. Heimdall knew what it was.

"Amazing, is it not? Dark matter is so powerful, so deadly. I am surprised that those blasts did not kill you. But no matter, we do not need you dead, just incapacitated. And we have done that much."

"You…stop this." Heimdall gasped. The woman laughed and straightened her short deep red robe.

"I think not."

* * *

"Thor!" Loki yelled. He hoped his brother could hear him.

The man lunged at him, grabbing for Loki's arm, but Loki slashed with his dagger. The man laughed as he retreated.

"Tiny dagger for a tiny child."

"Shut up." Loki hissed from behind clenched teeth. "Why are you doing this?"

The man made another grab, but Loki slashed again, this time slicing some fabric from the man's shirt.

"Oh-ho, careful with that knife boy, it is a dangerous weapon." The man sneered. Loki growled and stabbed his dagger toward the man's chest, but the man grabbed the dagger from Loki and in one quick motion threw it out the window as he swept Loki's legs from beneath him.

Loki landed on the floor with a loud bang. "Thor!" He screamed, allowing his magic to move across his tongue.

* * *

Thor lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He heard bangs from his brother's room and scoffed.

"Really Loki?" He whispered to himself "Are you not a little old for temper tantrums?"

However angry Loki was, Thor would not budge and he would not apologize.

There was nothing to apologize for.

Nothing at all.

"Thor!"

He was surprised he heard his brothers muffled call through the wall. He yelled back, "I refuse to apologize, Loki! I shall not, so stop trying to make me!"

* * *

The man made a grab for Loki's leg but the boy kicked him off before he made another well placed kick to the man in the gut from his place on the floor. Loki scrambled to his feet as the intruder coughed and staggered back.

The man did not seem to appreciate Loki's kick.

The intruder roared and went to strike Loki, but Loki ducked and landed a blow of his own.

"Tho-" Loki tried but his attacker hissed and struck the young boy across the face. Loki fell to the floor once again, dazed and in pain. He felt two strong hands grab him from the floor, and suddenly he was no longer in his room. He was being carried down the wall of the palace.

* * *

Thor froze. Did he just hear a man's voice in Loki's room?

It did not sound like father...

Thor shot up from bed and ran out of his bedroom. He slid on the marble floor as he turned and quickly grabbed the handle of Loki's door. He tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Loki?" He yelled. Nobody answered. "Loki let me in!" He pulled furiously at the door, but it would not move.

"Loki!" He yelled again. Then Thor turned and ran for the guard barracks. Surely one of the guards would have a key.

* * *

Heimdall was immobilized.

He lay on his stomach, his hands bound behind him and the woman sitting on his back. He watched as the Humab king lead his people down the length of the Bifrost. King Jesur smiled smugly when he passed the fallen gatekeeper. The other Humabs glanced at Heimdall as they passed, but they did not seem surprised to see the gatekeeper tied up and restrained.

One by one they passed. Heimdall felt sick with each passing Humab. What kind of gatekeeper was he to let the enemy enter and leave as they pleased?

He needed to alert Odin, he needed to warn him…of what? That somebody was going to be taken from them? Who?

Heimdall could not see, he could not see what they were planning, he was blind to it and it drove him insane.

Heimdall sighed as the stream of Humabs heading back to their planet dwindled then ended.

But the woman did not get off of him.

"Why are you not leaving with the rest?" Heimdall growled.

"There are still two more. One of ours and one of yours."

"Why? Why are you taking one of ours?" Heimdall hissed. The woman laughed lightly.

"King Jesur loves to be entertained, you see. You could even call it an obsession. And one of yours is very entertaining. Our king needs that one." She said.

Heimdall saw them coming down the Bifrost then, the one that was _theirs_ and the one that was _his_. It seemed to be a man carrying something. As he got closer, Heimdall realized it was not a some_thing_, but a some_one_ that he was carrying.

"What?" Heimdall whispered to himself. The man stopped in front of Heimdall.

The man had a boy under one arm. The boy looked up and Heimdall saw his green eyes and black hair and he knew. He knew who they were taking. The raven haired boy looked so small under the arm of that man. Loki looked like he was trying to speak, but there was cloth tied around his mouth to keep him silent. He was restrained as Heimdall was.

His emerald eyes were pleading with the amber eyes of Heimdall. Heimdall was his last hope, of course the boy would be expecting Heimdall to save him, to fight off the Humabs and to return him to his home. But he could not move, he was not strong enough, Heimdall could not help him, he could not. Helpless tears shone in the gatekeepers eyes. Then Loki was gone, carried through the Bifrost into an unfamiliar world light years away from home.

* * *

**Poor baby Loki :'( Tell me what you think! Reviews make me happy! (And help me improve my story as well) Until next time dolls.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello guys! I haven't updated this for a while because it is very hard to write for me, so sorry! I hope you guys like this chapter! Read, review, and enjoy!**

**Also, I need to make this clear- this is NOT a rape fic, and does not contain any type of sexual abuse/ assault. **

* * *

Two guards sat on their bunks, polishing their dull armor. They were the only two in the barracks. They had been up from the crack of dawn, as they had woken earliest to prepare for the feast, and now they were about to ready for bed; after their armor was gleaming, of course.

"Those Humabs were odd, were they not, Harreth? I wonder why Odin was so insistent when he told us to remain suspicious of them." The one guard asked with a smile.

The other guard, Harreth, set his newly shining helmet on the floor and sighed. "I am not sure, but I do not trust them. And they left the dining hall in disarray." He rubbed his face with one hand, the stubble scraping his fingers. "And I'm sure it will be our responsibility to clean it."

"Yes." The first guard, who was named Raol, replied. "But that is what happens when you are the lowest ranking soldiers."

"How true that is. Just the other day I…" Harreth began. He tapered off and paused, his brow scrunched in concentration over his deep set eyes.

"Did you hear that?" He said.

"Hear what?" Raol asked, but then he heard it too; somebody yelling, footsteps pounding toward them. It was getting louder by the second. The two guards jumped to their feet, armor clattering from their laps and crashing loudly to the floor.

They stood with wide stances side by side, ready for whatever was approaching.

The barrack door flew open, and in stumbled the young prince Thor.

"Young master!" Raol exclaimed in surprise. Harreth released a sigh of relief, thinking the child was playing some sort of game. Thor and Loki often played around in the barracks, sometimes even asking Raol and Harreth to join in, as the two guards were oftentimes in there polishing breastplates or sweeping the floors. Loki frequently engaged Harreth in conversation. The boy was very intelligent, and Harreth enjoyed talking with him.

"Why are you-"

"My brother!" Thor heaved, bracing himself against a tall bed post.

Harreth chuckled. "He is not here, young Thor, he must be hiding elsewhere. Is it not too late to play games?"

"No! Loki! You have to give me the key! Please, Loki needs me!" Thor yelled through intakes of breath. Raol moved forward in two quick steps and kneeled before the blond child.

"Thor, Thor. Calm down, child. Tell me, what is wrong?" The guard said as he grabbed Thor's arms. "What happened?"

"Loki's room is locked I heard a man's voice in there that was not my father I heard fighting." Thor said in one breath, the words flying out of his mouth. Raol jumped up and ran from the room immediately, leaving Harreth and Thor alone in the guard barracks.

"Does he not need a key?" Thor asked, still out of breath.

Harreth gave the boy a slight smile. "Follow me." He then ran from the room, headed the same way as Raol. Thor stumbled as he turned and followed after as quickly as he could manage.

* * *

The guard and young boy arrived at Loki's door as Raol made his first attempt to break it down.

Raol reeled back for a second time and ran at the door, this time crashing into the wood using his shoulder.

The door shuddered then slowly began to fall forward, cracking into two pieces on Loki's bedroom floor.

Thor rushed past Raol and into the room. "Loki?" He yelled.

He noticed that he room was wrong. Sheets were laying on the floor, blankets were pulled off the bed, a table overturned. Thor's stomach sank.

"Loki! Loki where are you?" Thor ran around the room, looking behind bookshelves, chairs, everything.

"Is he here?"

"No." Thor cried in dismay, dropping to his knees and searching beneath Loki's bed. "He's gone."

"The window is open." Raol observed as he made his way toward the opening. He stuck his head out.

"Nothing. I see nothing. Thor, are you positive that you heard a voice?"

Thor nodded, his face pink and his eyes wet. "I heard it. Something is wrong. I heard him cry out my name, but…I ignored him." Thor stifled a sob and covered his face out of shame.

_What have I done what have I done?_

"Hush boy, we do not know what happened here. Perhaps he made this mess himself and ran off."

"I do not think so." Raol said gravely. A piece of torn fabric was clenched in his hand.

"This fabric does not belong to Loki, does it Thor?"

Thor shook his golden locks and sniffed. "No. He wears fancy things, nothing dark like that."

"I think." Harreth said gravely. "I think I need to speak with Odin. Raol, run to the dining hall and alert the other guards, tell them to search the palace for Loki." Raol nodded and immediately took off, disappearing around a corner in seconds.

"What will we tell my father?" Thor asked. Harreth began to walk away from the boy, his pace quick.

"_I _am going to tell him what I have seen and heard from you. You will stay in your room. We do not need another young prince to go missing tonight."

Harrath then left Thor alone, the boy standing beside Loki's empty room with a distressed expression. Thor clenched his hands and breathed shallow breaths, his eyes stinging.

_How could this have happened?_

His breath hitched. His feet began to move. He was running, running after Harreth, toward his father.

_What is going on?_

* * *

_Breathe, breathe._

Heimdall's lungs burned like fire. His feet pounded against the floor, the sound echoing throughout the hall.

He was almost there. Almost there.

_How could I be so weak? How could I allow this to happen? I have failed my King. I have failed my people._

Heimdall clenched his teeth.

_I have failed my prince. I have failed Loki. _

_Breathe._

The man stumbled and fell to the floor. He heaved deep breaths, his palms flat on the marble and his golden eyes staring down. Sweat dripped from his brow and landed in droplets.

He crawled back to his feet, swayed, and began to run once again. He pushed harder.

_Only a little farther._

Heimdall fell once again, this time collapsing completely. The marble floor was cool against his cheek. His vision was blurred, fading to black.

He heard yells, though he could not tell how far away they sounded from. They echoed through the hall and into his ears, muddled and jumbled.

Heimdall felt hands grip his shoulders and heave him up. He was still conscious, he was still aware, but it was a fickle thing.

He was being walked forward, toward the throne room, he could tell. His clarity began to rush back, and Heimdall saw that four guards were holding him up, half carrying him into the king's presence.

"Release me, I can walk." Heimdall said with a low grunt.

"Are you sure, Heimdall?"

"I am. Leave me be. I must speak with the King. Alone."

The guards glanced at one another, but slowly released their grips and backed away. Heimdall swayed, but did not fall. He strode into the throne room alone.

He held his head low as the heavy doors shut behind him with a bang. The silence was extreme, almost uncomfortable. He destroyed it with his heavy footfalls.

King Odin sat noble on his throne, his lips thin and his eyes hard.

"My King." Heimdall said breathlessly, and he nearly tripped over himself as he fell to his knees. He kept his head bowed, his nose touching the floor.

"What is this Heimdall, what is wrong?" The king boomed before standing and approaching the gatekeeper.

"I am very sorry, old friend." Heimdall muttered, his voice cracking. "I have failed you."

"Rise, Heimdall."

Heimdall shook his head vigorously, still staring at the floor. "I cannot. I am not worthy."

"Tell me what has happened! Why do you act this way, dear friend? Have they done something, have the Humabs begun an attack?" Odin yelled, shaking the kneeling man by the shoulders and forcing the gatekeeper to look up.

The kneeling man's golden eyes were shining with tears. He shook his head.

"No. They took your son. They took Loki."

* * *

The sky was purple.

Loki's eyes were trained on it. It was so alien. The colors in the sky were unlike any he had seen before. It was beautiful.

But it was cold.

The sky was not warm like the Asgardian sky. It was not comforting.

This sky was new. Unfamiliar. Unpredictable.

Loki shut his eyes hard, scrunching them so tightly it hurt. He didn't want to stare at that unfamiliar sky as he was carried along a dark path, hundreds of strange Humab people streaming along in front of him.

He did not want to look at the purple sky anymore than he wanted his hands to remain tied. They were beginning to throb.

He did not want to see the man carrying him, as Loki had begun to think of this man as a monster. What else could steal a child and take him millions of miles from his home?

He kept his eyes closed, and he tried to pretend that he was on a boat. Yes, a boat off shore, bouncing on the waves.

But he was not bouncing on waves, was he? No, he was being jostled by the monster who had Loki tucked under his horrible arm.

The child opened his red rimmed eyes.

Loki looked ahead, past the Humab people walking along the path back to their city, past the strange thin trees that stretched on for miles. He looked past it all and he saw a white palace, gleaming in the night like stardust.

Loki wondered what was in that palace.

Would it be like home?

Loki's eyes watered at the thought.

He was scared. He did not like to admit it, but he was terrified. He did not like being so far from home, with not a familiar face in sight. He wanted to be home, in Asgard, with Thor, father, and mother.

_I want mother._

Then his tears began to fall, streaming down his cheeks and soaking into the cloth gagging his dry mouth. He swallowed, but found a lump had formed in his throat. He began to sniffle, his eyes growing blurrier and wetter by the second.

"Stop that." The monster said, and Loki tried. But he could only hold back his sobs to a certain point. His shoulders shook, and his tears continued to fall freely.

"There is no use crying. Accept your fate. This is your new home." The monster said, a sliver of kindness creeping into his voice. No, no. Loki must have mistaken. Monsters do not feel kindness. This monster was mocking him.

Loki tried to struggle out of the monster's grasp, but the crying boy gave up quickly. He had been trying for hours, and he was exhausted.

_I want to go home I want home I want my bed and my brother and father and mother and anything but this._

_Please, please._

Loki choked on a broken sob.

_Let me go home._

* * *

Thor approached the throne room. He could hear voices from behind the ceiling-high gold doors. They sounded angry.

The boy moved forward in a burst of gusto and pushed the doors open with all his might. They swung inward and hit the wall with a crash.

The voices stopped.

Thor ran into the room. He immediately felt confusion.

His father sat on his throne, looking almost calm.

_Why is he sitting? Why is he not looking for Loki?_

Heimdall sat on the ground beside him, his big hands covering his face.

_Is…is Heimdall crying?_

Harreth stood in the corner of the room, his head bowed low and his hands intertwined.

Frigga was near the king, pacing back and forth, her hands on her hips and her deep scarlet robes flowing. She looked very angry, but the look in her eyes betrayed an even stronger emotion of worry. Her brow was furrowed deeply over her shining eyes. Her lips were down turned and thin.

She did not seem to notice Thor's loud entrance to the room. Neither did Heimdall. Odin glanced up at the boy, but returned to his staring at the floor soon later, as if Thor's boisterous appearance had not disturbed him in the least. Harreth looked up and nodded lightly at Thor, his expression grim.

"I do not understand this, my dear husband. I mean no disrespect, and I know I am not knowledgeable in all the aspects of the situation." Frigga said, anger building in her voice as she stopped her pacing and faced Odin. "But I must say that what you are telling me is preposterous."

"You are right, you do not understand, Frigga. This outburst is entirely out of line." The king replied weakly, rubbing his face with one hand. His voice was tired.

"_Out of line_? Would you dare say such a thing after what you have told me?" Frigga yelled, her voice breaking.

Thor was stunned. Why was his father just sitting there? Why was mother yelling at him?

The boy walked forward a few steps then stopped. He opened his mouth to speak then closed it again.

"Thor." Odin sighed. Thor swallowed hard. His throat was dry. It hurt.

"Father." Thor said, and he regained his confidence. He strode forward to stand beside the throne, beside his mother. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Heimdall still sat on the floor, weeping. It was unnerving, to see such a powerful man reduced to tears.

"Father, what is going on? What is happening? Has Loki run off, has he been taken, what is this? Why are you _sitting here_?" Thor began, his voice growing louder until his words ended in a yell, their angry tone echoing through the large room.

"I have been informed by Harreth and Heimdall both. They have told me of what happened." Odin stated, his eye downcast. Thor's eyes were large, waiting for more information. Odin sighed heavily.

"Loki was taken-"

"What? You know this? _By who? What person did this?"_ Thor yelled, his voice cutting through Odin's. Odin held up a hand, and Thor quieted for a moment.

"The Humabs. They took Loki."

"But," Thor said with a quiet voice that contained a hint of his growing panic. "But why would that happen? And…_and why are you not going after them?" _

"I do not know why this would be done to my son, Thor, I truly do not." Odin yelled as he stood from his throne. Thor backed away, hurt gleaming in his eyes.

Odin carried on with a gentler tone. "I am not going after them because I cannot."

Thor's eyebrows furrowed, and his breathing quickened. He was shaking his head, he did not know why. He forced himself to stop.

Odin walked a few paces from Thor, away from his throne and Heimdall and Frigga.

"What do you mean, father?" Thor croaked, his voice so quiet it was a surprise that Odin heard. Frigga placed a hand over her mouth and half ran from the room, her garments billowing like red sails. Odin watched her go with sad eyes.

Odin turned his back to Thor. Perhaps because he was ashamed of what he was about to tell his eldest son.

"Asgard is still healing from war. We do not have the resources for a conflict at the time being, and the Humabs have technology more advanced and dangerous than anything we have ever known, not to mention powerful allies that span across the galaxies."

Thor blinked.

"We cannot pursue them. To do so would create war. We would not survive such a conflict."

Thor was still as could be, his eyes glued to his father's back.

"But...but you will get Loki back. We will bring my brother home. Right father? We will fight them for Loki, right?"

Odin turned slowly and set his piercing eye on Thor, his expression grim.

"No."

* * *

**Well, yep. This took me a while to write for some reason, perhaps because I try to write it more formally then I usually write. Anyway, thanks for reading it guys, review if it is any bit possible. **


	4. Chapter 4

**This is a short chapter, sorry my doves. Also, you guys MAY want to re-read the last chapter, as some changes were made. Read, review, and as always, enjoy!**

* * *

"Eat."

Loki looked up at the woman, his eyes bright and hostile.

The woman stared back, though her gaze was less intimidating.

"Please." She said. "You need to eat. I was told to feed you, little one."

Loki looked away, his cheeks red and his lips pursed. His eyes stung, and he was trying his best not to cry. He sat in a medium sized room, a room he had been placed in, a room that was now his assigned bedroom, and it was extraordinary. The walls were covered with intricate gold designs. The ceiling was even more decorated, golden molds and ornaments stretching across its expanse. There was furniture, every piece more extravagant than the last. The floor was marble, and it seemed to sparkle as if it were encrusted with stars from the night sky. Everything shone with a sort of marvelous beauty, even the ornate little stool Loki sat on, even the woman that was attempting to make him eat; all of it shone with perfection.

He imagined any sane person would feel amazed, thankful even, to be sitting in such a room. Yet Loki could hardly keep tears from tracing their way down his flushed cheeks.

"Take this." The woman said, offering Loki some sort of bread. It looked delicious, its golden crust gleaming slightly in the brightly lit room. It smelled even more enticing.

"Get away from me." Loki hissed. The woman retracted her hand slightly. Then she smiled tenderly. He would not accept their so called kindness; he would not take anything from them. For all he knew it could be poison.

"Do not fret child, you will be fine. You will have a wonderful time here, just take this bread." She pushed it toward his mouth. "Just take it and-"

"No!" Loki yelled, slapping the bread from her hand. It landed on the clean floor with a soft thump. The woman frowned, rubbing her hand, and stood up.

"That is not how you will behave here, child. Do you understand?"

Loki glared at her. "Have you really just said such a thing to me? After you _kidnapped me_, took me light-years from my home, you are trying to tell me _how to behave_?" Loki yelled. "Leave! Get out of here!" He yelled, his eyes finally losing the battle with his emotions. He did not want her to see him cry, did not want her to see his _weakness_.

"Get _out_!" He sobbed, moving toward the woman with a hand raised to threaten her. The woman scuttled from the room, looking slightly panicked, and Loki slammed the door shut behind her. He breathed deeply and shakily, backing away from the elegant door slowly, trying to get himself under control.

He rubbed his eyes of salty tears and walked over to the bed that had been made for him. It was beautiful. _Beautiful. _The sheets looked so delicate, yet were incredibly soft to the touch. The pillows were filled with down. But it was not his bed. It did not belong to _him_, anymore than the room belonged to him. It was as if he had been thrown into some sort of ancient tomb, beautiful and fit for a king of the highest authority, but meant for a corpse nonetheless. It felt cold, bare. It contained no familiarity, no possessions, and no nostalgia.

Loki pulled himself onto the unfamiliar bed and laid facedown, allowing his salty tears to soak into the bedding. He felt as if his heart was glass, and he felt it would burst into millions of shards if he remained so far from Asgard any longer. He could feel the distance between himself and his home; he could feel it within the pit of his stomach. And it was _nauseating_.

His door slammed open, and he jumped up, sliding clumsily off his bed. He rubbed his eyes quickly and sniffled.

A guard clad in golden armor walked purposefully into the room and strode toward Loki with heavy steps, his broad face stern and angry. His aura was powerful, and it made Loki think of Heimdall. It was as if this man bore a strength so significant it radiated from his skin. Loki tried to back away, but found he was already against his bed.

"What do you want?" Loki squeaked, and the guard stopped walking. He pointed one finger toward Loki, the large digit only inches from the boy's face.

"I want you to behave, Asgardian. _Behave." _The man knelt down so that he was staring Loki in the eye. The man did not blink. His eyes were stormy gray.

"Do you understand me?" The man asked with his thunderous voice. Loki nodded his head vigorously. This man was intimidating, powerful, and Loki was scared. He could feel the fear tracing through the pit of his stomach and causing his legs to tremble.

The man rumbled, "Say it."

"I understand." Loki choked. The man stared for a moment longer with those piercing anger filled eyes before rising to his feet, his armor clattering and flashing.

"Good. I will not hear about you misbehaving, Asgardian. I will not have you disrupting the peace of this kingdom, and you will not treat your servants any worse than you would treat me. If you do, you _will_ be punished."

Loki's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. His rebellious attitude was nothing compared to the terror this man instilled within him. It was an almost unnatural fear. This man was no monster, he was simply a person, just another shallow Humab.

So what made Loki feel the way he did? Was it intuition? Did some part of Loki realize that this person was even more dangerous than he appeared?

Or perhaps he was simply being cowardly.

"You may be something of a prize to my King, but to me you are simply a foreign threat. And I will not hesitate to treat you as such."

Then the man was gone, the sound of his clanking armor receding down the hall and away from Loki's assigned room.

The young boy released a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. He ran trembling fingers through his dark hair and sighed.

_I will have to watch out for that one._

The thought caused the lump stuck in his throat to resurface. It made him feel as if he would be in this new world for a long time. As if this new bedroom was permanent. As if he would never again see his home.

"No." Loki whispered, only half aware that he was speaking. "No, that won't be the case. Father will come for me. He will come."

Loki slid to the floor and rested his head against the bed frame.

"He will come."

* * *

"I do not understand, father." Thor said with a low tone. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said." Odin stated. He walked slowly toward his throne and sat down. He sighed deeply. "I should not have to explain myself to you Thor. You must trust me as your father and as your king. I know what needs to be done."

Thor's eyes were wide with disbelief. "But you aren't doing _anything!_"

"Quiet, Thor." Heimdall whispered weakly as he began to rise from his place on the floor. "Your father is right."

"And you!" Thor yelled, his teeth clenched in a grimace. "What about _you_? You are the gatekeeper! You are supposed to keep these things from happening! And now look! Look what had happened!"

"Thor." Heimdall said as he moved forward, an arm outreached.

"No!" Thor yelled, backing away. "You are both cowards!" Thor felt a lump forming in his throat, making it difficult for him to speak. "You would both see Loki taken far away, and you have no clue what they want with him! Cowards!" Then he ran, the sound of his father's thunderous yells receding as his feet pounded. He flew through the doors, he flew down hallways, he ran to escape those men and their strategies and their _weakness_.

_No, no, this is not right, this is so terribly wrong, so terribly wrong._

Tears blurred his eyes, but they did not fall. They were not tears of sadness.

They were tears of anger, of frustration, of horror. He was feeling everything as he ran through the enormous halls of his home, as he nearly crashed into maids and guards, as he slipped and banged his knees on the marble floor only to get up again.

He was feeling shame; he had failed his brother. Loki had called out to him. _His brother had called out for help._ And Thor had ignored his pleas, his desperate cries.

He felt anger like he had never felt before; his father would not help his own son, would not save him, because he was afraid. Thor hated his father in this moment, hated him and his wise leadership.

And Thor felt an anxiety like no other. He had no inkling, no idea of what those strange people would do to his brother. The possibilities were racing through his mind.

_Will they torture him like a war prisoner? Will they kill him? Will they use him for ransom? Will they turn him against us? Will he hate me when I see him again? Will they brainwash him? Will he even recognize me?_

Thor felt as if he would explode. Then he ran into someone, someone warm, and the person wrapped their arms around him. He struggled, trying to get away, thinking that another Humab had come to take him away. He was panicking.

"Hush, child, hush." Thor heard his mother say, and at once he melted. His mother was here, she was hugging him, and it would all be alright. His mother would fix this. She would make it all better.

"You need to calm down, my love. You must keep your head." She soothed, running her hand through his hair. Thor buried his face in her chest. "It is alright." She said, though her voice shook.

He looked up at her face and saw the pain. It was there, though she tried to hide it; pain in her eyes, in the corners of her mouth, written across her brow.

"Mother." Thor said, his voice surprisingly steady. "I will bring him back."

Frigga said nothing. She simply stared into the clear blue eyes which she shared. She stared deeply into her child's face, and then she smiled slightly. It was a grim smile.

Then she said quietly, her voice only the faintest whisper, "I know, my love. And I will help you."

* * *

**Thank you to all that read, and thank you to all that review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it is a little shorter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the lateness, can't do much about it. Read, review, and as always, enjoy!**

* * *

Loki breathed deeply, his eyes flitting over the hazy landscape around him. It was beautiful. There was a layer of mist on the ground that seemed to reflect every piece of warm light, every ray of sunshine, and it produced colors one could only imagine. He could smell something sweet; strawberries? Loki began to walk through the garden he was standing in, looking at bunches of yellow flowers and sprouting ferns with interest as his feet skimmed a polished stone path. An ivy covered stone wall surrounded the garden. Loki walked over to it and ran his thin fingers over the rough stone.

This place seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

It felt sad, but also friendly. A jolt ran down his spine, and he found himself looking around, mystified. Had he heard music? It had sounded like his mother. He would know her singing voice anywhere.

Loki looked up toward the sky and gasped.

There it was; the palace. His home. He was back at Asgard, yet still so far. His city was resting on an enormous silver cloud, which was drifting slowly away from the garden. The boy could even see the palace resting in the middle. Loki yelled, trying to tell them to come back, trying to tell them that he had been left behind. He could hear his mother's song clearly now, haunting and sad yet amazingly beautiful. Loki found his eyes prickling with tears as the song grew softer, moving farther and farther away as the cloud floated slowly toward the darkness.

"Please!" Loki screamed, but his voice made no sound. Loki tried to run after his city, but he found his feet were moving incredibly slowly. He felt a force pulling him backward as he tried to reach out to the garden gate, its shining black iron beginning to rust as his fingers edged toward it.

"Come back!" Loki yelled, his voice still restricted. He was finally able to grab the rusted red bars of the gate, and as his fingers gripped its crumbling surface, everything disappeared. Darkness enveloped Loki, and as he screamed his voice returned. He began to cry, sobbing into his hands.

"Mother." He cried in the darkness. He walked forward and found that there was solid ground beneath his feet.

_Is this what it is like to be blind?_

The thought seemed to echo through his skull.

"Loki!" A voice cried from the distance, though it seemed to come from all around.

"Loki! Where are you?" The voice cried again. Loki turned in all directions, the suffocating darkness disorientating him.

_Was that…was that Thor?_

"Loki!" Thor called. His voice seemed so close, so loud, yet as Loki stumbled in a circle, eyes searching for any trace of his brother, he saw nothing but black.

"Thor!" Loki yelled out, falling to his knees and breathing heavily. He felt as if his chest was caving in.

"Loki why did you leave us? Why did you go? Do you not love us? Do you hate me?" Thor whispered, his face suddenly appearing inches from Loki's ear.

Then Loki was falling, falling through the darkness, the breath ripped from his lungs as his body quaked, shaking, a hand on his shoulder-

"Loki. Master Loki, please awaken, it is time to rise."

Loki's eyes shot open as he awoke, gasping, a servant pulling Loki's blanket off of his trembling and damp body. He groaned pitifully and curled up into a ball.

"Please go away." Loki whined, tears prickling at the corners of his tightly shut eyes as he thought about his dream. He felt horrible; not just emotionally drained, but physically drained as well. He felt as if he had only slept a few hours.

"I cannot, young master. You have slept for the entire night, and it is late morning. You must get up to begin your day. King Jesur is awaiting your presence."

Loki groaned again and opened his emerald eyes slightly, his black lashes damp with tears.

"Exactly how long did I sleep?" He croaked. His servant, who was not the same as the day before, bent over Loki to look him in the face. His expression was one of exasperation.

"A whole three hours! We have much to do this day."

"Wait," Loki began, sitting up in his bed. "Your nights are three hours long?"

"Yes." Said the dark haired man. "Of course. Are you nights shorter?"

"Longer actually." Loki sighed as he fell back on his pillow, rubbing his eyes with his fists. "Much longer."

_This could turn into a problem…No. No it will not be a problem. It will not matter how long the nights are because father will be coming for me shortly. Yes, that is true. Father will come._

Loki's servant looked at him with sympathy. "I am sure you will adapt to the difference."

"Yes." Loki muttered. "Perhaps."

The servant walked away from the bed and toward a wardrobe. From that piece of furniture he pulled some pieces of clothing that looked, to say the least, elaborate. The servant carried them over to a cushioned chair and laid them on the seat.

"I will leave your clothing here, Master Loki. Please change." He then left the room, closing the door lightly behind him.

Loki allowed his body to relax and hit the soft pillows behind him.

"Please father." He whispered to the beautiful molded ceiling. "Come quickly."

* * *

"Loki!" Thor screamed, shooting upwards in the darkness. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing was jagged and shaky. It took him a moment to realize that he was no longer dreaming.

_That dream…Loki. He was calling out. He was all alone. All alone in the darkness. He sounded so scared._

Thor's breath rattled in his ears. He rubbed at his stinging eyes with his thumbs before he struggled out of bed. His bare feet shakily found the floor. He wiggled his toes slightly, trying to awaken them. His eyes adjusted slowly but surely, and Thor found that he had awoken from his dream in the middle of the night. It was nowhere near morning. The blond child looked to his window as he calmed his breathing.

The sky was an inky black littered with bright specks of colored light. Thor moved closer to the window and placed his hands on the polished stone sill, allowing his fingers to roam the smooth surface. The boy stared at the bright lights he knew to be planets. One in particular, a very miniscule mint green light, caught Thor's eye.

"Could that be the one?" He whispered so lightly his lips hardly moved. "Are you there, Loki? Is that where you are?"

_Or are you on a planet so far not even the sky of Asgard holds its image?_

Thor yelled in frustration, hitting his open palm against the windowsill. He turned and stomped toward hid bed, but his feet caught on something hidden in the darkness. He fell to the ground, his limbs sprawling and his nose crashing into the hard floor. Thor's blue eyes watered with pain, and he decided he would just stay there on the ground. He would lay there and never get up again. What was the point, really? Everything was going terribly. His brother was kidnapped, his father was refusing to do anything, and now _his nose was throbbing_.

Fresh tears welled up in his eyes and fell to the floor.

_No, no. This is not what you will do Thor. You will not lay here on the ground like some pitiful babe and weep about something you can mend. You will bring Loki back. You will._

As if fate was reading his thoughts, a small knock sounded from the entrance to his bedroom. Thor sniffed and lifted his head to look. He could barely see his door, as the only light in his room was the starlight streaming from his window.

The knock sounded again, this time slightly louder. And more urgent.

Thor scrambled to his feet and rushed for the doorknob. He knew what to expect. His mother had told him to await a midnight visit from someone who would help him. Someone who would help him get Loki back. Who that someone was, Thor had no clue. He simply believed it would be a person his mother trusted. And that was good enough for Thor.

Thor put his hand on the doorknob and hesitated before opening it slightly. Through the crack, he saw two bright golden eyes staring back at him.

"He-heimdall?" Thor stuttered.

Heimdall pulled the door open and grabbed the young boy's arm.

"Come quickly, young prince. We haven't much time. Your brother needs us."

* * *

King Odin lay quietly in his bed, his eye staring at the ceiling far above him. He listened to the sound of his wife's breathing, tying to distract his mind from the mess that was happening around him. He found himself feeling alert.

"Are you still awake?" Odin whispered to the form lying beside him. Frigga rustled under the blankets.

She sighed. "Of course I am awake. How could I possibly sleep?"

Odin breathed deeply and sat up, slipping his feet over the side of their bed.

"I cannot sleep either, my love."

Frigga stared at his dark silhouette. His shoulders were leaning forward, as if the King had been defeated. As she watched, the man ran a strong hand through his blond hair.

"This is unbearable, my love. I can hardly take it." He sighed roughly. There was an edge to his voice that seemed to show some sort of emotion. Was it regret? Or sadness?

Frigga sat up as well and placed her slender hands on her husband's warm hunched back.

Her eyes stung as she said, "If you cannot handle your decision, perhaps that means it was the wrong one."

"No!" Odin yelled, and Frigga jumped. In a more hushed tone, he continued. "No. I made the right choice. I know I did. But that does not make it any less painful."

"So you will not reconsider?"

"I cannot, my wife. I cannot."

"Then answer me this." Frigga said, her voice turning stony as she brought her hand up to Odin's head. He turned to face her. His eye shone and his mouth was turned down in a deep frown. The crease between his brows made him appear so much older than he was. Frigga caressed his cheek lovingly, but her face was hard.

"If this was Thor who had been stolen, and not Loki, would you still not reconsider?"

Odin's eye widened in anger and he leapt from the bed, whirling around to face his wife, whose expression had not changed.

He pointed one large finger at his wife and said, his voice full of emotion, "I love Loki. I love my son."

"I know you do." Frigga said, her voice cracking as tears ran down her face. "But you _cannot tell me_ that if Thor was the one light-years from home, alone and scared, you would sit here and do nothing. You cannot tell me such a lie, because I know it is such. I know you love Loki. But you love Thor more." She wiped her eyes and lay back on her pillows, turning away from her speechless husband as she wrapped a blanket tightly around her body.

Odin's mouth was slightly agape as he let his shaking hand fall to his side. His anger was gone. Now there was nothing but shame. He found himself walking outside onto their balcony. The night was dark, and the stars were very bright.

"What can I do, Loki?" Odin choked. "I cannot fail my people. I cannot."

_If it were Thor, would you ever say such a thing?_

"I cannot."

* * *

"Oh my." Loki breathed, staring at himself in the long ornate mirror on his wall.

"Is it not wonderful?" His servant exclaimed excitedly. He clapped his hands together and grinned. Loki frowned.

"That was not my thoughts on this piece of clothing. It is too…well…little." Loki said uncomfortably. He felt very odd. He was wearing some sort of skirt like thing which sparkled when he shifted. It was a deep royal purple. He had never thought that he would wear something that shimmered as he moved. It was an incredibly flashy piece of clothing.

Loki was not wearing a shirt. He found himself wrapping his thin alabaster arms around his midsection, feeling very exposed. He wore a silver collar around his neck. It was not too unlike the ones he had seen the Humab people wearing at the banquet in Asgard. It was studded with amethysts and opals. Silver bands also circled his arms and ankles. Loki had never worn so much jewelry. He felt like an ornament. Perhaps that was what he was now.

"Master Loki, this is a very traditional piece of clothing. You look like a Humab prince."

"But I am _not_ a Humab prince." Loki hissed, his deep green eyes darting around to meet his servant's blue ones. His servant swallowed hard as Loki yelled, "I am an_ Asgardian_ prince."

"I did not say you were a Humab prince, Master Loki. I said you resemble one. No Asgardian could ever show the grace and beauty of Humab royalty. We are the most exquisite in the universe, dear child." The servant said as he walked toward the bedroom door.

"Now, come. You must have your audience with the king. He has been expecting you." He said with a small smile. He opened the door and swept his arm toward it, waiting for the small boy to follow.

Loki shivered and glanced into the mirror once more. He brought a hand up to his face, running one finger along his top lip, as if he were making sure that he was real. As if making sure that what he had said was still true.

_I am an Asgardian prince. I am an Asgardian._

Yes. He was an Asgardian.

Loki turned away from his sparkling image and walked through his bedroom door, his servant on his tail. He took a very deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing it. Anxiety rolled tremulously through his stomach.

His servant quickened his stride so he was in front of Loki, leading the way down the hall. Loki allowed his eyes to wander as they walked. There were very tall windows linings the wall every three feet. They were framed with molded gold studded with various types of precious gems. The walls themselves seemed to sparkle. Loki looked at the ground and saw that it was a very deep black that shimmered and even seemed to move before his eyes. Loki was reminded of a galaxy of stars. He wondered if that was what the architects had been trying to accomplish.

As they moved through the hallways, Loki noticed something about the people he saw.

They were all drunk.

Or at least they acted like it.

Beautiful Humabs were lounging on sofas, sitting on chairs with their perfects legs crossed, and leaning against walls twirling their hair and chatting with one another. Giggles and laughter emanated through each hallway. Loki found himself entranced. Asgard was so different. The palace at home was…stiffer. Less casual.

"We are here, young Loki. It is time for your audience with king Jesur." The servant stated.

Acrid anger boiled in Loki's stomach.

"Good." Loki muttered as his eyes bore into the door before him. "I have much to say."

* * *

**I hope you guys liked this! Til next time.**


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